Chapter 7
"Jackie, what in the world…."
To say that he was stunned was an understatement. Ezra could only stare at the attractive brunette who had been his first real girlfriend, his first love, his first in many respects. She was smiling broadly. She stepped forward and Ezra hesitated for a brief moment before embracing her in what felt like the world's most awkward hug.
"I thought you looked familiar and then when you turned, I knew it was you for certain. How have you been, Ezra?"
He was flabbergasted. Jackie seemed to think it was perfectly natural for them to be having a casual conversation in the middle of a foreign city, but the odds of them even meeting at all boggled his mind.
"Good, good. I've been good," he nodded, mentally wincing at the number of times he said good.
"Er, what about you? How have you been?"
Her familiar laugh washed over him and for a few seconds he was transported back to another destination, Italy, where he had popped the question and Jackie had said yes. It had made sense at the time. No matter how many other women he had dated at college, it had always been Jackie for him. Until she broke his heart by returning his ring.
"I've been great." Suddenly she seemed to remember she was not alone.
"Ezra, this is Paul, my fiancé. Paul, meet my…" Was it his imagination, or did she pause for the tiniest second before saying, "My dear friend from college, Ezra."
She linked arms with the man standing next to her, who Ezra had failed to notice until their introduction. He shook hands with Paul, using the opportunity to study the other man covertly.
Dark sunglasses hid Paul's eyes so it was hard to judge his expression, but he seemed amiable enough and content to let Jackie do most of the talking.
Jackie ran her fingers through her thick dark tresses. It was cut shorter than he remembered.
"So, what are you doing here? The last I heard, you were heading off to your first teaching job."
He nodded in assent. "I had an interesting couple of years at a high-school, but I want to try something new. I start full-time in the English department at Hollis in the new semester."
There was much he had left unsaid and Jackie seemed to sense there was more than he was telling. She had always known him so much better than anyone else. At least, until Aria.
"Oh my God – how weird is that? I'm starting as a teaching assistant at Hollis in the fall."
Ezra gaped foolishly. "Great!" he mustered up with false enthusiasm. "What department?"
"English, of course. Our college major, remember?"
How was he going to explain this development to Aria? She was aware of Jackie, having spotted her profile on his facebook page but their broken engagement had not sat very well with her. Aria had not liked the idea that he might possibly have married another woman had things worked out differently.
Jackie laughed delightedly.
"Well, this is a coincidence! Although, you still haven't told me what you're doing in Barbados."
Ezra raised his eyebrows expressively. "I'm actually here on my honeymoon. With my wife. Who is obviously not here right now. She's back at the hotel. Visiting the spa. She said something about hot stones…"
He didn't know why he was giving such a babbling explanation. Of course it was perfectly natural for one spouse to remain behind in the hotel spa while the other did a bit of sightseeing.
"Congratulations on your marriage!" Jackie sounded sincere. "She's a lucky girl. We're doing the honeymoon bit before the wedding it seems," she smiled fondly at Paul.
Ezra was still trying to process the "she's a lucky girl" comment. It was a strange thing for an ex-fiancée to admit. Jackie seemed to guess his thoughts.
"Well, we really should be going. What time are you guys scheduled to leave the island? Maybe we can meet up for dinner before we fly back out?"
She scribbled the name of their hotel on a scrap of paper and after exchanging good-byes, they parted company.
Dinner was not a good idea, Ezra thought. Then he wondered at the wisdom of avoiding Jackie. After all, they were bound to cross paths at some point in the new semester. Maybe it would be better to meet up and lay to rest, once and for all, the awkwardness of any future encounters. Dealing with his past with Jackie was something he had avoided for a long time. Her rejection had not been his finest moment. But seeing her a couple of years later had put some things into perspective for him.
The question was, would Aria understand?
